


Kestrel

by stormiesstories



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Family, Gen, Werewolf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-21
Packaged: 2018-03-25 03:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3794923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormiesstories/pseuds/stormiesstories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Draco had a sister who was 12 years younger than him? What if she was adopted and not 100% human? One night something changes and forces brother and sister to stay together at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A chime sounded throughout a mansion set back away from most civilization. The chime signaled somebody was on the snowy front porch.

A small house elf with large green tennis ball eyes came scurrying out of the main sitting room to answer the door.

He pulled it open to find nobody there, only a bundle of worn, dirty blankets. Just as the house elf began to pull shut the heavy mahogany doors, a tiny laugh emanated from amongst the bundle.

“Dobby, who is it?” a woman’s voice called out from the room the house elf left.

“’Tis nobody but a baby, ma’am,” Dobby called back.

The sound of feet rushing out of the sitting room was joined by the sight of the master and mistress of the house rushing towards the door.

The man, Lucius, went out the door and scooped up the giggling baby girl from the snow. Before you could say “Malfoy”, he was in the house and his wife, Narcissa, had taken the baby from him.

“Dobby, bring us some clean blankets and a bottle.” Lucius ordered.

“Yes sir,” Dobby exclaimed and left with a crack. He spread the news of the baby to the rest of the household elves.

Lucius and Narcissa brought the giggly girl into the sitting room, where the warm blankets were waiting. Narcissa slowly unwrapped her and a letter fell out of the blankets. Lucius bent and picked it up. With a nod from his wife, he opened the heavy parchment envelope and read aloud:

“Dear Whomever It Concerns,

If you are reading this, you have taken my little girl into your family. Her name is Kestrel and she is 6 months old.  
A few things you need to know about her. The most important is she is a werewolf. How did she survive the change? I myself was changed while I was pregnant with her. Kestrel is a natural born wolf, she doesn’t follow the course of the moon.  
She tends to change while she sleeps, as protection and when she’s scared (which isn’t often).  
Her father is also a wolf and is her alpha as well as mine. He doesn’t know about her but Albus Dumbledore knows who she is and who he is.  
Please take care of my little girl.”

Dobby popped in with a loud crack and placed the bottle of warm milk on a side table before he left. Narcissa picked up the bottle as Lucius sat down next to her.

“Lucius, look!” Narcissa exclaimed.

There in her arms wasn’t a baby girl but a sleeping wolf pup.

They quickly unwrapped the pup and saw she was silvery white with a single black stripe running from the tip of her nose to her tail in a thin trail. The tip of her tail looked like she dipped it into a bucket of light brown paint.

Four and a half years later

“Mama, can I go with Danke, please? I can see him right over there.” A little girl asked as she pulled on her mother’s cloak.

“Okay hun, just don’t wander off again.” Narcissa said, glancing down at her grey eyed daughter.

Kestrel ran off through the crowded street of Diagon Alley. The crowd parted and she ran up to her brother yelling, “Danke!”

A blonde haired, blue-grey eyed teen spun around and caught Kestrel in a tight hug.

“Are you being good for Mother?” He asked.

“Yes, she said I could walk around with you. As long as I didn’t wander off again. Can we get some ice cream, please?” She asked as Draco picked her up.

“Sure, I just need to get my school books first.”

They walked down the street towards Flourish and Blotts when a red head got in the way.

“What do you want Weasley? I don’t have time for this.” Draco said, exasperated.

“You kidnap kids now in broad daylight Ferret?” Ron’s face was turning red.

“Ron, why would he do that? Who is she Mr. Malfoy?” Remus Lupin walked up, followed by Harry and Hermione.

“My little sister. Her name is Kestrel.” Draco answered.

“You smell funny. Are you a wolf too?” Kestrel blurted.

Remus chuckled and answered, “Yes but I’m not like you. I was changed when I was about your age.”

“Hello, Kestrel, I’m Hermione and this is Harry. How old are you?”

“Five. Danke can we go get ice cream now?”

“Sure, come on. I’ll get my books later.” Draco picked Kestrel up for a piggy-back ride to the bookstore.

Six months later

The wards around Malfoy Manor were signaling a large mass of people forcing their way onto the grounds. Lucius rushed from his study where he was finishing up some paperwork due the next day. He reached the Master bedroom just as Narcissa came running out. They shared a look, nodded, and pulled two identical vials out if the pockets in their robes.

“Leacher!” Narcissa called.

A loud crack sounded the same time the front doors were blasted open.

“Gather all the house elves and protect her.” She ordered.

The old house elf bowed and left with another loud crack.

Lucius and Narcissa uncorked the vials and drank the contents. Not even thirty seconds later they were found dead by Severus Snape.

At the same time somewhere else in the mansion, the house elves were guarding Kestrel.

The door was blasted open and two men in long black robes and masks stormed in. They looked around and their eyes fell on the little girl clutching a stuffed silver dragon to her chest surrounded by ten house elves.

“She’s just a wee lass, barely out of babe years.” The first one said to his partner.

“Yeah, she won’t know anything, let’s go.” The second one pulled the first out the door and they left.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Time moved slowly for the waiting elves. Kestrel managed to fall back asleep right as her door was blasted open for a second time in the same night. Two people walked in and saw the elves.

“Leacher, where is she?” Snape asked.

Before the ancient elf could reply, a voice answered from amongst the group, “I’m right here.”

He made his way into the semi-dark room and the house elves moved, granting him access to the young girl they were protecting. Kestrel scrambled off the bed and ran to her god father who bent down and scooped her up.

“Hello again, Kestrel. Do you remember me?” Remus asked as he moved closer.

“Yeah, you still smell funny,” She mumbled against Severus’s neck.

“I’ll let the others know. You should gather some of her things. I have a feeling we won’t be getting anything for her from here after the Ministry gets here.” Remus put his hand on his school rival's shoulder and left the room.

“Come on pup, let’s get you packed.”

They went around the room, picking out toys and clothes for her to take. Soon they had a small trunk packed and Kestrel was exhausted. Severus shrunk her trunk, put it in his pocket, and carried his goddaughter out to where everyone was waiting. Albus Dumbledore sent the house elves to the kitchen at Hogwarts and told everybody, “I’m holding a meeting at Grimmauld Place in one hour.”

The gathered group nodded their heads or mumbled their reply before disapparating or flooing home. Well, everybody except Albus, Severus, Remus and Minerva. They flooed to the headmaster’s office.

The small group was then joined by Professor Flitwick and Draco.

“What’s going on? Who’s she Severus?” Professor Flitwick questioned.

“Danke, I was so scared.” Kestrel mumbled sleepily from Snape’s arms.

“It’s alright, Kessie.” Draco came up to her and she reached for him. He took her and they hugged.

“This is Kestrel Malfoy. She will be staying with us for a while.” Albus explained from behind his desk.

The door opened and the school nurse walked in. “Albus, what is going on?” she demanded

“Thank you for coming, Poppy. I hope I didn’t wake you.” The twinkle in the headmaster’s eyes never dimmed a moment. “Could you examine someone for me?”

“Where are they?” the school nurse sounded exasperated but looked serious.

Albus motioned Draco to bring Kestrel closer for inspection. Madam Pomphrey transfigured one of the chairs scattered around the office into an examination table.

“Put her here, Mr. Malfoy.” She ordered.

He placed a sleeping Kestrel on the table. The room was quiet while Madam Pomfrey conducted her tests. After a few minutes, she stopped and declared, “She’s fine, just a bit exhausted.”

“Uncle Severus, why’s she here?”

“The mansion was attacked. The Dark Lord found out about your parents spying for the Order. They’re dead.” The Potions Master was about to continue when the Head of Gryffindor House let out a startled screech.


	2. Chapter 2

Kestrel changed in her sleep.

“Does she always do that?” Severus asked.

“Only when she’s really tired or scared,” Draco answered. He scratched behind the silvery white wolf’s silky ears.

“Mr. Malfoy, would you care to explain what you and Severus seem to understand?” Minerva demanded.

“Kestrel is a natural born werewolf but she’s different. She doesn’t change at the full moon.” Severus started.

Draco continued, “She was left on the front steps of the manor with a letter from her mother. Apparently, her mother was changed while she was pregnant. The magic was partially transferred to Kestrel. She can change whenever she wants but she only will do it when she’s either really tired, scared, or as protection.”

Throughout the explanation, Remus’s eyes got a slightly wolfish gleam. He managed to get a hold of his wolf just as Dumbledore looked at him.

“Mr. Malfoy, because she is so young, I’m going to have her stay with you. There are some extra guest rooms near the Ravenclaw dorms. You will be moved into one of them with Kestrel. She will have to stay with you throughout your classes. If you wish, I will make an announcement about her to the rest of the school in the morning.” The headmaster announced to the quiet room.

“I think it would be easier if you were to make the announcement so everybody could hear. Could you possibly do it before we arrive?” Draco replied after thinking for a few minutes.

“Alright then. Remus, could you show them to the rooms behind the wolves? Thank you, now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an Order meeting to lead. Good night.” And with that the headmaster flooed to 12 Grimmauld Place. 

Remus scooped up Kestrel and Draco followed them out the door. The trio was quiet most of the way to the new dorm when Remus stumbled, jostling Kestrel, causing her to wake up and shift back human.

“What’s going on?” She mumbled.

“We’re going to our new rooms, Kessie. You alright, Professor?”

“I’m fine, Draco, don’t worry. Are you alright, pup?” Remus asked.

Kestrel nodded and buried her face into the junction of his neck and shoulder.

“Your rooms are over here,” Remus said as they arrived in a long corridor filled with large paintings of animals from all over the world. Half way down the hall, the group stopped at a painting of two wolves, one black and the other white.

“Hello Remus. Will these two be staying with us?” The black one asked.

“It has been a long time since we’ve had guests,” the white wolf added.

“This is Draco and Kestrel. These two are the yin-yang wolves. The password is lycan and your stuff has been brought up. If, you’ll excuse me,” Remus handed over Kestrel and disappeared down the hall before another word could be uttered.

“Lycan,” Draco gave the password and headed into his new home with his little sister in his arms.

The common room was in various blues and grays. There were two black couches, three black overstuffed armchairs, floor to ceiling bookcases were crammed to fullness, and a desk positioned just so by the double helix staircase, so whomever was sitting could see who was on the stairs. At the top of the stairs were five doors. The one in the middle was open to reveal a white tiled bathroom with two sinks, a large bathtub and separate shower, a toilet and a closet with fluffy green and brown towels. The room directly to the right was Draco’s and the one connected to his one the far right was Kestrel’s.

Draco quietly put his baby sister to bed and headed into his own room to fall asleep on top of the covers.

 

“Attention everyone! I have a few announcements to make. First off, late last night Lord and Lady Malfoy were found dead. Death Eaters broke into Malfoy manor when Lord Voldemort discovered they were spies for the Order of the Phoenix. Second, we will be having a guest stay with us for a while. Her name is Kestrel Malfoy and she is five years old. Miss Malfoy will be going with her brother to his classes. I do not want to hear of anybody giving her a hard time.” Albus Dumbledore announced to in front of the entire Great Hall the next morning. The mass of students broke their silence.

“I never knew Draco had a sister!”

“I wonder what she looks like. Is she cute?”

Before the whispers could carry very far, the doors to the Great Hall were opened and in walked Draco holding Kestrel’s hand. They made their way to the Slytherin table.

“Hey, Draco. How are you doing, Kessie?” Blaize Zabini asked as they sat down.

“Hey,” Draco replied.

“I’m still sleepy, Bassy.”

Draco and Kestrel just started eating when Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle came over. “Hi guys, hello Kestrel.”

“Hi Panny.” Kestrel didn’t look up from her small pancakes.

“My name is not Panny, it’s Pa-“

“Danke, I’m gonna go talk to Uncle.” Kestrel interrupted.

“Okay, be careful though.”

“I will.” She spun out of her seat and ran up the aisle between Slytherin and Gryffindor.

“Uncle Snivellus!” Kestrel launched herself at her godfather eating breakfast at the end of the Head Table.

He caught her in a tight hug, much to the surprise of the school (minus Draco and the staff). “How are you today Kessie?”

“Good, the wolves on the picture are kinda rude though. They like to growl at Danke.”

“Then you be sure to tell them to mine their own business and they will stop. If they don’t, they me and I will go talk to them for you.” Remus joined in.

Just then, the bell rang and Draco came to collect his sister.

“Thank you Remy!” and with that, the brother and sister got swallowed by the mass of students going to their first period classes.

“Well, it’s official then,” Severus said as he and Remus used the teacher’s door behind the Head Table.

“What’s official?”

“Kestrel likes you. The only one with a nickname that she doesn’t like is Miss Parkinson. I don’t blame her for not liking her though.”

Draco’s first class of the day was Herbology with the Ravenclaws.

“Good morning class! Today we will be working with aconite. Now, can anyone tell me what aconite is more commonly known as? Anyone? Miss Granger then,” Professor Sprout started off the day cheerfully.

“Aconite is more commonly known as monkshood or wolfsbane. It can be deadly to a werewolf if they were to even touch it but it is the key ingredient in Wolfsbane potion.” Hermione recited between Neville and Lavender.

“Correct Miss Granger, five points to Gryffindor! Now, Professor Snape needs us to harvest this for the Wolfsbane potion he makes for Professor Lupin. Everyone put on your protective gloves. What is it Mr. Malfoy?” Professor Sprout instructed.

“Sorry to interrupt but Kestrel is allergic to aconite.”

“Thank you for the warning, stay away from Miss Malfoy then. You must be careful when harvesting aconite or it will be rendered useless. All you want to do is gently pluck the leaves of the plant without causing further damage to the main stalk, like so,” she demonstrated how to properly pluck the plant. “Well, what are you waiting for? Begin.”

As the class started in on the harvesting, Professor Sprout began to walk around. 

“Professor, what’s this?” Kestrel asked, pointing to a white star shaped plant next to her stool.

“Why that’s asphodel, child.”

“And this one?” she pointed then to a plant with a very green, leafy, maple leaf like shape.

“That’s wormwood.”’

Soon Kestrel had the motherly professor walking all over the greenhouse, talking about all the different plants and what they were used for.

Once the class was over, Draco performed a quick scourgify on himself before taking his sister’s hand to lead her to Potions. When they got to the dungeon, the students who made it into advanced Potions were in the hall talking quietly to one another. The door to the classroom opened and everyone walked inside.

“Take your seats. Kessie, I want you to sit at my desk. For the next month we will be attempting the Polyjuice Potion. This potion will take the full month to brew so do not mess it up. Instructions are on the board, you may begin.” Snape instructed. “Ms. Granger a word please.”

Hermione and Kestrel walked up to the desk.

“What do you need, Professor?”

“I am to understand you already brewed this potion?” He questioned as he picked kestrel up.

“Yessir, in my second year.”

“I remember quite well, thank you. I have another project in mind for you. You will be helping me brew the Wolfsbane Potion for Professor Lupin. I want-“

“Snivellus, why does Remy need that potion?” Kestrel asked with her doe brown eyes wide.

“He needs it to control his wolf.”

“Why?”

“Because without it he could hurt many people without meaning to.”

“Why?”

“His wolf is another part of him but is wild and bad like yours is good and tamed.”

“Why?”

“He wasn’t born with the wolf, he was bit by a bad man and is forced to have to share his person with it.”

“Why?”

“The bad man purposefully places himself near humans to turn them into lycanthropes like himself to enlarge his pack.”

“Why?”

“To a werewolf, the bigger the pack, the stronger your family is against other packs.”

“Why?”

“If your pack was weak, you could get attacked by a stronger pack and you could die.”

“Why?”

“You could get really hurt or they might just want to kill you.”

“Why?”

“They might not want you to join another pack.”

“Why?”

“You could make that pack stronger.”

“Why?”

“Enough! Why is it that every time I answer your question you ask ‘why? why? why?’ until I get fed up with it?”

“Because Uncle, it’s fun.”

And with that, the dead silent classroom filled with laughter. Even Severus chuckled a bit before he got control over the class once again.


	3. Chapter 3

“Kessie, can I continue what I was going to say to Ms. Granger now?”

“Yes Uncle, I want to draw now,” Kestrel said in her sweetest voice.

“As I was saying, I want you to meet me here every night after dinner. You may use this time to do as you wish until the class is done with the potion.” Severus said, look directly into Hermione’s eyes.

“Thank you sir, I’ll see you later.” And with that, Hermione went back to her seat, packed up her potion supplies, and left the classroom.

The class went rather well for the rest of the period without any cauldrons exploding or arguments breaking out. Soon the bell rang and everyone hurried to clean up and get to their next class.

“Danke, when’s lunch?” Kestrel asked from her perch on Draco’s back.

“After my next class, are you getting hungry?”

“No, your classes are long. How many more?”

“More classes? Just three, History of Magic, Defense against the Dark arts and Transfiguration. What do you want for lunch?”

“Can I have macaroni and cheese? And hot cocoa?”

“Sure, why not? What about dessert?”

“A chocolate chip cupcake with chocolate frosting!” Kestrel buried her face into Draco’s shoulder. 

“Alright, let’s hurry up before the bell rings and we’re late.” Draco grinned while making his way down the hall through the mass of people crowding everywhere.

The crowd parted around them and started whispering about the new development of Draco having a little sister. Many found it hard to believe that Draco’s family would have another child as many pureblood families only have one, the heir, and that’s it. Others just found it weird that Draco was showing emotions other than disdain and anger. Most of the girls thought they looked cute together and were secretly whispering about how they needed to sneak pictures and send them to the Daily Prophet.

In History of Magic, Professor Binns had finally gotten off the topic of the Goblin Rebellions and onto another topic, one that some were genuinely interested in, the history of the werewolf.

“Come in, come in. Everyone take your seats and open your books and notes to chapter thirteen please. We will be continuing our notes on the history of the Lycans and their struggles. Now can anyone tell me why born werewolves are different from those bitten? You there, in the front.” Professor Binns droned from his position floating in front of the blackboard.

“A born werewolf can change shape at will while a bitten one is forced to change during the full moon.” Hermione answered.

“Correct! Now, how is one born a werewolf? Young man in the third row.”

“Werewolves can be made by being bitten. Born werewolves are exposed to the curse through genetics or if the mother is changed while pregnant with the unborn child in question.” Draco answered.

“You are correct on one part; the fetus would die if the mother was bitten while pregnant. The genetics can only be passed on by male werewolves as females are unable to bear children. Now write this down in your notes; the difference between a lycanthrope and a werewolf is-“ 

“That’s not true. I know someone whose mother was pregnant when she was changed and they are a natural born werewolf.” Draco interrupted.

“Oh, who then?” Professor Binns was now intrigued. 

Kestrel looked up from her coloring and raised her hand.

Professor Binns just shook his head and laughed quietly, “It is not possible. Whoever told you this was lying to you and your sister Mr. Malloy.”

“You don’t know what you are saying right now! It’s you who is wrong and are trying to blame it on Draco! You are a horrible teacher and deserve to be banished!” Kestrel was starting to get angry.

“Kessie, you don’t say that to a teacher,” Draco whispered.

Professor Binns was so angry at what he just had yelled at him, he drifted back through the blackboard and class ended. Everyone got up and left the classroom to use the time left over as fun time. Draco and Kestrel headed out to the lake, where he sat her down and explained a few things.

 

“Kessie, do you know why you don't say those things to a professor?" Draco started his mini lecture.

"Its true though! He's a bad teacher! He doesn't even know your name!" Kestrel retorted.

"I know he's a bad teacher, but Professor Binns has been at Hogwarts since before Mother and Father were students. He is very old and knows a lot more about history than most people. You are supposed to respect your elders, not point out their flaws."

Kestrel's eyes started to tear up and she looked remorseful at what she had done in the class. "I'm sorry Danke, I didn't mean to be mean. He was wrong though!"

Draco scooped Kestrel into his arms and held her as the tears began to fall down her face. "I know you are sorry and we both know how wrong he really is, but because he has be 'right' all this time, he won't change. How about you make him a picture to say sorry and we'll give it him in the next class. Okay?"

Kestrel nodded and buried her head in Draco's robes.They just sat there for a while, undisturbed. All of a sudden a loud gurgling noise startled them both before Draco laughed.

"I guess its time to feel the little werewolf!"

Kestrel giggled and growled playfully, tugging on Draco's hair. "Feed me!"

The pair made their way back into the castle and headed for lunch.

They joined Pansy and Blaise at the Slytherin table, where Draco began to fill a plate for Kestrel. He gave her shepard's pie and gravy, as well as a small serving of chips. He poured a cup of hot chocolate for her but set it aside to let it cool instead of using a cooling charm, which tends to cool it down too fast and nobody likes cold hot chocolate.

Kestrel dug in quickly after a muttered "Thank you" and ate with great speed.

"Slow down Kessie or your will get a stomach ache!" Pansy scolded, but Kestrel just stuck her tongue out and keep on eating.

When she was finished, Draco passed her a chocolate cupcake just like she had requested before. 

Soon the warning bell rang. Almost as one, everyone in the Great Hall stood up and began to make their way to their afternoon classes. Draco picked up Kestrel and carried her piggy back after passing his bag off to Blaise, not wanting to lose her in the crowd of teenagers. It was slow leaving the Great Hall but once they made it to the top of the main staircase, the general speed of the population increased.

The small group made it to the Defense classroom with a little time to spare. Draco put Kestrel down and she started to set up her drawing supplies again. 

"Mr. Malfoy, please bring your sister to the front of the class. I have a seat up here where she won't be harmed when we start to practice our spellwork today." Remus called from his desk beside the blackboard.

Draco nodded and helped Kestrel pack up her parchments and crayons before taking her by the hand and moving to the front of the classroom. There, alongside Professor Lupin's desk was a smaller version of the students' desks, perfect for a 6 year old.

"Why don't you work on your picture for Professor Binns and when you are done with that, you can work on your letters for a while." Draco suggested before walking back to his seat with Blaise.

Kestrel started to draw her picture for Professor Binns as the last bell rang, signaling the start of all classes.

"Good afternoon class. Today we will be pairing up and working on disarming and stunning your partners. You may choose your partners but know, if anybody is using spells with the intent to harm your partner, not only will you have detentions with Filch for three months, but all Hogsmeade privileges will be canceled for the rest of the year. So far two people have received this punishment because they thought I was joking. I am not. Begin." Remus instructed his class before taking a seat at his desk to start grading essays.

The class sat in silence for a few seconds before they began to pair off and start working. Soon the room was full of shouts and flashes of colours as the students practiced.

When Kestrel was finished drawing, she looked up and noticed Professor Lupin sitting next to her. "Remy?" She asked.

Remus paused reading the fourth year essay and looked over at the little girl, "Yes Kestrel?"

"Why do you need that potion from Uncle Sev?" 

"Which potion? Severus makes many."

"The wolf's bane? What does it do?"

"You know how you can change whenever you want?" Remus put down his quill and turned to fully face the child.

"Yeah." Kestrel nodded.

"I can't. I can only change during the full moon and sometimes it hurts a lot. Sometimes when it hurts, my wolf gets angry and wants to hurt other people like it hurts. The wolfsbane helps my change not hurt and my wolf doesn't get angry."

"Oh. Okay... Is that why you smell funny? Because you can't change like me?" Kestrel was trying to grasp the concept of the transformation hurting but couldn't picture it just right.

"Yes. We are two different kinds of werewolves. I was bitten when I was your age by a big mean wolf who wanted to hurt my family. You were born a werewolf to the magic is natural to you, allowing you to change more easily and whenever you want."

By now the class quieted down and were listening into the conversation.

"Why did he want to hurt your family?" Kestrel gave up on trying to understand the pain and found a new subject to explore.

"He believed my father did something mean to him and he wanted to punish him by hurting me."

"What did your daddy do?"

"He refused to help one of the bad man's pack members who was hurt because they were a werewolf.

"Why?"

"Many people are scared of werewolves. There are a few bad wolves, like the man who bit me, who did bad things to normal wizards and witches. Now many people don't want to be around us."

"What did they do?"

"Who?"

"The bad wolves! What did they do?" Kestrel demanded.

"They hurt lots of people, many of them died. Now not many people want to help werewolves. But Severus and Madame Pomfrey are some of the few who always help." Remus looked a little sad for a moment before he looked up at the rest of the class. "Why are none of you working? I don't remember telling you to stop."

The class scrambled to get back to work as Kestrel sat and thought about what she was just told. She pulled out a spare piece of parchment and began writing out her name, as well as some other words she knew how to spell.

The ending bell rang and the students packed up and headed to their other classes. Draco walked to the front of the class to collect Kestrel. Before they left the room, Kestrel walked up to Remus and hugged one of his legs. She whispered, "Don't be sad anymore. Everything is better now."


	4. Chapter 4

Draco's last class of the day was Transfiguration. The halls were not as crowded at this point so he allowed Kestrel to walk beside him holding his hand. As they passed in the halls, several clusters of girls lining the sides of the corridors made cooing noises at Kestrel, who just smiled back in return, which caused the girls to coo louder.

The pair reached the Transfiguration classroom just before the bell rang, slipping through the door before Professor McGonagall could close it properly. 

"Thank you for joining us Mr. Malfoy," she said before walking up to the front of the classroom. "Today we will be going over the theory of becoming an animagus. At the end of class, if any of you wish to continue to study to become one, come speak to me and I will take your names for the ministry program. Remember, not everyone has the magical strength to complete the transformation.”

The class was full of the rustling of parchments and quills as the class of seventh years prepared to take notes on the lecture. Many were quietly whispering to their neighbors about how exciting the topic was and how they all wanted to become animagi.

Kestrel pulled out her parchment, feeling like the rest of the big kids and set to work on a new drawing, this one for Remy. She didn’t pay attention to any of the students around her, wanting to make this one extra special. 

“Now, can anyone tell me how does one go about finding if they can transform? Mr. Potter then,” Professor McGonagall called from the front of the class.

“Meditation and a lot of inner focus,” he replied.

“Correct, are there any other ways?”

“A potion. It can help focus the mind and show the animal one might become.” Hermione answered.

“Correct again. The way we will be seeing if any of you can transform next class will be with the potions that Professor Snape has supplied for the class. Now, can anyone tell me which types of animals it is most common to transform into? No? Alright then, it is more common for a witch or wizard to change into a mundane animal like a cat, dog or bird. It is more rare to change into a magical creature like a kneasel, crup or a jarvey. It almost unheard of for someone to turn into a purely magical creature like a unicorn, dragon or phoenix.” Professor McGonagall spent the entire class teaching the Seventh years about becoming an animagus.

Kestrel tuned out the voices around her to focus intently on making the perfect drawing for one of her new favourite people. She started drawing a forest at night with the moon high above the trees. when she was done drawing all the trees and bushes, she decided something was missing and started to add a wolf off to the side. 

Draco glanced over at his sister sometime in the middle of the lecture and smiled. Kestrel fell asleep on her artwork and a curl was laying in a small puddle of ink. Draco reached over and slid the parchment from under her head and rolled it up before adding it to the collection in her backpack. He cleaned the quill and bottled the ink before putting them away too. He gave his sister another smile before turning back to the lecture and continued with his notes. 

An hour later, the bell rang and everyone hurried to back up their supplies before heading down to dinner. “I want sixty centimeters on how to tell if an animal is an animagus by the beginning of our next class!” Professor McGonagall called over the sudden noise of the seventh years.

Draco shook Kestrel’s shoulder gently, “Kessie, time to wake up. Class is over now.”

Kestrel gave a small yawn and rubbed at her eyes. “What’s next Danke?” she asked, still sleepy. 

“Dinner time!” Blaise beamed. Kestrel just sent him a look that read, ‘Are you really being immature right now?’, causing Draco and Pansy to start laughing.

Blaise laughed and scooped Kestrel up into his arms before taking off down the corridor. Draco and Pansy just picked up their bags and followed. The group was reunited in the Great Hall, where they got to watch Blaise refuse to let Kestrel down.

"Blaise! Let me down! I want to eat!" Kestrel cried. 

Blaise just laughed and threw her over his shoulder so she was hanging upside down. Everyone in the Great Hall just stared, some whispering to friends. It was a bit unnerving to see the stone faced Slytherins acting in such a carefree manner. 

"Mr. Zabini, put Miss Malfoy down now. Your noise level is excessive and you are disturbing others' dinners." Professor Snape intoned from behind the group. 

Blaise was quick to comply and the four took their seats. Draco started dishing out macaroni and cheese onto Kestrel’s plate before getting some for himself. He poured her a glass of milk as she started eating. She flashed him a smile before continuing her meal.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few weeks had passed and the gossip mill had quieted down a bit. There were still comments being made whenever Kestrel did something cute (which was often according to the female population) but everyone had gotten used to seeing the five year old in the halls. So far there were no more outbursts from Kestrel in the classes, and Professor Binns had forgiven her when she apologised. 

On this morning, Kestrel was difficult to get ready for the day. 

“Kessie, come on. It’s time to get up.” Draco walked into Kestrel’s room for the third time that morning. 

Kestrel was curled up in the middle of her bed under the covers. When Draco pulled them off, she let out a whine and tried to hide under the pillows. Draco just chuckled before picking her up and carrying her into the bathroom. 

“Danke, I’m tired! Why can’t I sleep?” Kestrel whined as Draco put her on the counter before passing her her toothbrush. 

Draco answered around his own toothbrush, “We have to go eat breakfast, then go to class. Remember, I don’t have classes after lunch today so we can come back here and you can take a nap.” 

The pair was slower in getting ready this morning, but they made it to breakfast on time before making their way to class. This morning it was Defense Against the Dark Arts that was first. 

Walking into class, Kestrel made her way up to her desk in the front of the room and gave Remus a small wave. He sent her a smile in return before watching her climb up onto her chair and pulled out a children’s book. Kestrel’s sluggish movements gave him pause before he turned to address the class. 

“Good morning class. Today we will be reviewing shield charms and counter curses for your practical on Wednesday. Pair up with someone not from your house.” Here the class groaned and Remus held up a hand to silence them, “If you cannot act like the adults you are, I will pair you up myself and I can guarantee you will like the pairs I have in mind. Go.”

The class stood up slowly and began to move around the room, finding partners in each other. Slowly the noise level rises until everyone is working on their spellwork. Remus walked amongst the pairs, correcting wand movements and pronunciations when needed, and offering praise when the corrections are applied. 

Remus finished his second rounds when he headed to the front to check on Kestrel’s progress with her book. She hadn’t gotten very far in the twenty minutes since class started and had started coughing, quietly at first. Remus crouched next to her chair and placed his hand on her back. 

“Hey Kessie, are you alright?” He asked quietly.

Before she could respond, another round of coughing started, this one more harsh than the others. Kestrel curled in on herself, trying to stop the wracking coughs from shaking her small frame. Remus rubbed her back until it passed. He was going to ask again when the scent of blood reached him.

“Kessie, look at me,” He demanded, trying to look at her face. 

She pulled her hands away from her mouth and glanced up at Remus. “I don’t feel so good,” she whispered. 

Remus caught sight of the blood spatter on her hands and scooped her up as he stood to leave. “Mr. Malfoy, come with me!” He barked as he rushed from the room, Draco hot on his heels when he saw his sister being carried from the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on Chapter 5 now but it will be a while until it is complete. I'm working through several huge projects over the next few weeks, including designing a lesson plan to teach one of my education classes and finals are in 2 weeks from today. After finals I start work for the summer. I have a full time job where I'm working 30-40 hours a week and by the time I get home, I'm too exhausted to even think about writing anything. 
> 
> I have this story planned out completely, been like that since I started writing it a few years ago, but sometimes I find it hard to connect what I want to happen with how it sounds when I write it out. I even have the possibility of a sequel planned but no definite thoughts on that yet.
> 
> Next chapter by the end of August, sooner if I can manage it!


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